The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-25
PENSION PAPERS STOLEN.
A CLERK IN THE OFFICE AND A
LAWYER INVOLVED.

The Latter Says it is Plot to Injure
Him in Retaliation for Once Having
Discharged the Thief from His EN-
ploy-He Denies Receiving the Pur-
loined Documents.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 24--Allen Ruther-
ford, lawyer of high standing and extern
sive practice in this city, and formerly an
Auditor of the Treasury Department under
President Grant, was arrested to-day upon
charge Of receiving certain records stolen
from the Pension office. Richard Brumer,
n clerk in the Surviving Soldiers division of
the Pension office, was also arrested charged
with stealing the records in question. The
missing papers were the records of the service
of surviving soldiers, which had been copied
into the books of the Pension Office. Their
loss is therefore, of little moment to the
Pension Office, but their possession is as
sumed to be of consequence to claim agent
with an extensive practice. Rutherford
gave bail in SO, 600, and was at once released,
but Brumer, in default of bail, was locked
up.
BRUMER'S STORY.
Brumer has declined to employ counsel
and says he is willing to plead guilty. TO the
ubSOldtUlOH Vi tub papers, DuJ ne ueC ares
that he had no purpose of robbing the gov
ernment of anything of value. Their pos
sible value to "A claim agent was suggested
to him by the fact that Rutherford was in
the habit of sending to the Pension Oifice
for information contained in these papers,
and inasmuch as it was the practice of the
office to destroy the originals after they
had been copied he thought it no harm to
take them. He suggested TO Rutherford
that these records would be of great SER
vice to his office, and save
much trouble, and Mr. Rutherford
agreed with him, and thought no harm
could come from taking papers which were
so soon to be destroyed thereafter. From
time to time, up to about a year ago, Bru-
mer says he sent packages of papers to
Rutherford He declares that he never re-
ceived any compensation for this service
RUTHERFoRDs DENIAL
Rutherford terms his arrest an outrage,
which comes upon him like thunderbolt.
He declares that he never received one OF
the stolen papers, nor made any arrange
ment in respect to them. 1t would be abb
surd, he says, for a man in his position to
put his liberty in jeopardy to get informa-
tion which he could have for the asking
by sending to the pension Office At the
time he was said to have been receiving the
papers his chief clerk, Otto j. H. Stein was
practically managing his business, Last
July he detected Stein in certain surrepti-
tious practices and discharged him, since
when Stein has tried to iniure him. II any
arrangement was made, he says, Stein made
it, and if the papers were received Stein re-
ceived them. He attributes the charge and
his arrest to Stems malevolence
Rutherford and Brumer were comrades
duriug the late war, both having been MEM
bers of the New York Seventh Regiment.
Brumer expected to lose his position when
the present administration came into power
and in that anticipation he had spoken to
Rutherford. The latter had promised to
assist him in finding employment, and out
of gratitude, Brumer says, he suggested and
undertook to perform friendly service in
return. The cases will come up in the
police court tomorrow.